Homing

Antiques dealer Will Fisher was obsessed with English country houses from age seven – a fascination that sparked a lifelong pursuit of beauty.Will grew up in southeast London, the son of two working-class teachers, and persuaded his parents to take him on country house visits, dreaming of recreating their beauty in his own home. Today, Will is one of London's most respected antiques dealers. Alongside his wife, Charlotte Freemantle, he owns Jamb, which is known for its refined fireplaces, lighting and furniture. Their shared home in Camberwell is a treasure trove of objects amassed over a lifetime. In this conversation, Will talks about his serendipitous journey into the world of antiques, his experiences of dyslexia and feeling like an outsider, and how he's created an environment that helps him feel at home in himself.He also speaks with remarkable openness about a traumatic experience in his teens that had a lasting impact on his mental health.This is a conversation about beauty, chance and what it means to build a home around the things you love. We recorded this episode at Charlotte & Will’s Georgian house in Camberwell. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMattTo hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Dan Martensen is a portrait and fashion photographer whose work appears in Vogue, i-D and WSJ Magazine. He’s also the founder of It’s Bagels, bringing the New York-style bagel he grew up with to London.In this conversation, Dan talks about being uprooted from his childhood home at eleven, struggling to fit in at school, and learning to hide his sensitivity to get by.We discuss how those early experiences influenced his work as a photographer, his instinctive ability to connect with people, and his marriage to stylist Clare Richardson. Dan also tells the brilliantly chaotic story of renovating his house while simultaneously opening the first It’s Bagels in Primrose Hill – a business born, quite literally, from his homesickness for New York. Having once been the person his friends thought would never leave New York, Dan reflects on the unexpected process of putting down roots in London, and how this house finally made it feel like home.This episode was filmed inside Dan’s home in North-West London. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Dan Martensen:Website: danmartensen.comInstagram: @danmartensen It's Bagels: Website: itsbagels.com Instagram: @its__bagels To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

At 91, Rose Wylie has one of the most remarkable stories in contemporary British art. She stopped painting in order to raise her three children and returned to it in middle age, finding widespread recognition in her seventies. Today her work is exhibited around the world, and earlier this year she had a major show at the Royal Academy.For the past 58 years, Rose has lived in the same house in Kent. It’s an extraordinary space where piles of discarded paper are strewn across the floor, and the windows are covered in paint. Rose has little interest in domestic rules: she doesn’t tidy her studio, leaves her garden to run wild, and lets the house adapt around her life and art.In this conversation, we explore the influences that shaped Rose’s unconventional life – from her wartime upbringing as the youngest of seven, to her partnership with her late husband Roy Oxlade, and finding global acclaim later in life.Rose’s story is one of freedom, creativity, ageing, and the value of allowing a home – and perhaps a life – to develop on its own terms.Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough inside Rose Wylie’s home and studio: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Rose Wylie:Rose Wylie's exhibition at David Zwirner Hong Kong is called Napoleon and Wild Flowers. It is a show of new paintings. It will be on view from 24 November 2026 to 6 March 2027.To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Today's guest is psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE, one of Britain's leading experts on grief and trauma.Julia has worked with hundreds of families navigating bereavement, including members of the Royal Family. She was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, and supported Prince William and Prince Harry following Diana's death.In this conversation, we explore belonging and why some people never feel settled where they are, tracing it back to the role home plays in early life.Julia shares practical advice on how our homes can support healing – from the personal rituals that help us mourn, to why changing a home can sometimes be the most powerful way to regain a sense of agency after loss.These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.Contact:Follow Julia on Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe for tips, tools, and conversations about navigating life’s challenges.For bereavement help, you can download the Grief Works AppIf you need help finding a therapist, visit: The Samuel Therapy PracticeTo hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Should the home be considered one of the pillars of health? Dr. Esther Sternberg believes good design can heal us — and that architects should think of themselves not just as designers, but almost as health professionals. Esther is a physician and researcher whose work focuses on the relationship between mind, body and environment. She is the author of Healing Spaces and Well at Work, which explores the growing science of how the spaces we inhabit affect our health and wellbeing.In this conversation, we discuss how our environments shape the body and brain; the role of light, sound and nature in wellbeing; and how small changes to our homes can help create a sense of sanctuary in an increasingly anxious world.These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattPatreon: HomingWithMattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here.Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The spaces we inhabit shape who we become. But what does that mean for the people who have no choice where they live? Yvonne Jewkes is a professor of criminology, author, and leading expert on prison architecture. She has spent her career studying what echoing corridors, metal doors and harsh fluorescent lighting do to the people living inside prisons — and designing spaces that restore rather than punish.This conversation is also very personal. Yvonne spent more than a decade restoring a crumbling Regency townhouse, only for her partner to leave midway through the project. The house became tangled up with grief and the slow unravelling of the relationship itself. We explore the strange overlap between prisons and homes: the human need for dignity, sanctuary and control over our surroundings and the instinct to create beauty even in the bleakest places. If you enjoyed this conversation, Yvonne's book An Architecture of Hope: reimagining the prison, restoring a house, rebuilding myself is a powerful exploration into the universal need for sanctuary.These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionPatreon: www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattInstagram: @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We tend to think of home as the space inside our four walls. But for David Engwicht, home doesn't stop at the front door – it extends out into the neighbourhood beyond.David is a master placemaker and urban designer – he explores how the design of our towns and cities can either bring us closer or push us apart. With his cowboy boots, heavy-framed glasses and 'Pat Cash' hair, he's more like a rock ’n’ roll philosopher than an urban thinker. His philosophy was shaped by a nomadic childhood, living in 30 different homes and attending 26 schools. This experience taught him that home isn't something we find; it's something we create.In this conversation, David talks about the social bonds modern life has eroded and the small, everyday gestures we can make to rebuild that trust.From turning his own garden in Brisbane into a public park, to travelling the world with a folding throne in a suitcase, David’s work is a lesson in how designing for community can lead us to a deeper sense of belonging.These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Most of us think we need more — more space, more things, more possessions. Japanese architect Takero Shimazaki believes we may already have enough.Takero has designed some of the most elegant private houses in Britain, including one that was nominated for the Stirling Prize. His buildings are never grand or showy. Instead, they are thoughtful and restrained.He grew up in Japan, where there’s a long tradition of embracing imperfection and accepting that materials age naturally. His grandfather — also an architect — taught him that light and proportion shape not just a building, but how we feel inside it. It’s a philosophy Takero has carried with him ever since.When his father died two years ago, he found himself confronting a simple but liberating truth: we don’t really own anything. Today, he tries not to own much. He still wears the cashmere jumpers he inherited from his grandfather.In this conversation, Takero reflects on the Japanese idea of “enough” — the belief that most of us already have what we need. He speaks about his own modest Victorian house and about how good design can create spaces that feel calm and private even in the middle of a dense city.This is a conversation about impermanence, intention, and how taking care of the things around us allows them, in turn, to take care of us.These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★